Best Of Salt 'N Pepa, The

The Best of Salt 'n Pepa is an excellent 15-track overview of the groundbreaking female rap group's career, featuring all their big hits from the early days up through their platinum success in the '90s. The main problem is that it hasn't been released in the U.S., and it's also the only good Salt-n-Pepa compilation on the market to date -- so if you want it, you'll have to pay an excessive import price for it. That's a shame, because it's an excellent summary of their career. There are a few alternate mixes included, like the video version of "Whatta Man" and two different versions of "Push It," but there are no glaring omissions or substitutions. It might have been nice if the tracks were ordered chronologically, so that the group's development from cover-happy dance-rappers to sexy crossover hitmakers could be traced more readily. But their assertive self-confidence and underlying feminism hold everything together, and the best singles here rank as influential hip-hop classics. If only there were a domestic compilation...~ Steve Huey|